A manhole in District 1 decorated as part of a programme by the HCM City Urban Drainage Company Ltd and Heineken. — VNS Photo Thu Ngan

The HCM City Urban Drainage Company Ltd and Heineken Vietnam Monday announced a plan to decorate 100 manhole covers in main streets with paintings.

The programme is aimed at spreading the message and seeking community action on conserving water resources and protecting the environment.

Launched in October last year with a manhole-decorating contest on their fanpage, the programme attracted many young people keen on supporting environmental and social causes.

The 10 best drawings were chosen by the organising board for decorating the covers, mostly in Districts 1 and 3.

The activity has been undertaken as part of a clean water community progamme called “1 minute less for million smiles” organised by Heineken since 2011 to raise awareness of protecting water resources and taking action to save water, especially in areas with a water shortage or limited access to clean water.

Matt Wilson, the company’s corporate affairs director, said: “We hope the programme will help change the community’s behaviour, especially in terms of thinking about the consequences of what goes down manholes and littering in general.

“Manholes should be kept clean to prevent drain blockages and reduce water and environmental pollution.”

The company is set to hand over two more clean water pumping stations to communities in Cần Thơ city and Kon Tum Province.

The total number of such stations funded by it will rise to 22, and its spending on “one minute less for a million smiles” will go up to VNĐ13 billion. — VNS